A major drug dealer wanted for attempting to export 69.65 kilograms of cocaine, heroin and cannabis to the United Kingdom through the NAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, has been arrested at a church in Ojodu, Ikeja area of Lagos state.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, had traced the wanted drug dealer, Stephen Afam Ikeanyionwu, on Sunday 15 August, 2021, to a popular pentecostal church at Mike Ajari street, Ojodu Berger, where they arrested him soon after he stepped out of the church service. His arrest followed the interception of a consignment of illicit drugs weighing 69.65kg going to the UK through the Lagos airport on Thursday, 12th August, 2021.
The illegal baggage had been sent to the airport for export through a freight forwarding company which in turn gave a driver be arrested three days later in a sting operation.
Also at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives arrested an Italy-bound passenger, Abibu Miminu, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airways flight to Italy via Addis-Ababa for ingesting illicit drugs. While under observation at the Agency’s facility between Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August, 2021, the trafficker excreted 68wraps of heroin in three excretions, all weighing 800grams.
In the same vein, narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation have intercepted at two courier companies in Lagos 840 grams of Methamphetamine going to Australia and concealed in bolts; 340 grams of Meth hidden in locally made footwear’s and also going to Australia, 1kilogram of cocaine coming from Ghana with UK as destination and Concealed in four local guitars. Also seized from one of the courier firms is another 480grams of Meth concealed in footwears and going to Australia.
Meanwhile, a South Africa returnee, Obi Chigozie Samuel, was also last Sunday arrested at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines from Addis-Abbaba, for importing 58grams of skunk into Nigeria. During preliminary interview, he admitted ownership and claimed to be a cannabis smoker.
In strings of operations in Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Kano and In Kaduna state, operatives of the Birnin Gwari Area Command of the Agency raided the home of one MrJoseph Sunday at Ungwa Pama, Kaduna where they recovered 48.3kg of cannabis from his room following credible intelligence.
In Edo state, NDLEA officers on Tuesday 17″ August stormed the Ugbuwe forest in Ovia North East LGA, where they seized146 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 2,044kilograms, while in Kano state, one Ikechukwu Aleke was arrested with 30,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and 99bottles of Codeine syrup, in addition to the arrest of one Muktar Muhammad, with 370 bottles of Codeine cough syrup, weighing 60.4kg, as well as 900 tablets of Rohypnol.
Also arrested in Kano was Sufiyanu Abubakar, 24, with 400 plastic bottles of Codeine cough syrup weighing 52kgas well as one Mutta Hassan Wada, who specializes in using courier firms to send drugs to a recipient in China, using cooking spices bottles for concealment.
In Ondo state, over 77.5kilograms of cannabis andmonkey tail were intercepted on Saturday 21 August at Odigbo town in Odigbo LGA, where operatives arrested one Basiru ljiniga. Also arrested on Saturday was lbrahim Umaru in Sabo area of Akure South LGA. Recovered from him include different quantities of psychotropic substances like Diazepam, Tramadol, Swinol and Rophynol.
Reacting to the strings of arrests and seizures in the pastweek across some states and the MMIA. Chairman/Chief presidential mandate to clear Nigerian forests and communities of illicit drugs in whatever form. “We have alllaid our hands on the plough, there’s no looking back, no retreat or surrender and as such urge all our officers and men to intensify the ongoing offensive action until the lastgram of illicit drug is taken away from merchants of death”, Gen. Marwa stated on Sunday.
Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
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